Door-opening appliance



July 3l, 1923.v

, T. F. CQSS Doon OPENING APPLIANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 18. 1922 J7ZUen/07" 27e/eggs F6055.

Patented July 31, 1923.

' '.LHoivriis'r,` Goss, onmnnnomnfinnmors.

'a Y' Doon-OPENING 'nirnn'ilw'onl f Application lerd March 18, 192,2. Serial No. 544,779.

To' all whom imag concern.'

State of Illinois,'have invented certain new v and useful Improvements in `DoorfOpening Appliances, of Which the following vis a specification. v

This invention relates to appliancesffor automatically opening the doors of garages or like establishments on the approach lof an automobile or othery vehicle;` Y i v The object of the invention is to so construct and arrange the contact or tread member Which receives the impactA of the approachingfwheels that it Will'oler but vslight lsurface for the` accumulation of snovvJ 'mud 'l lor ice, which might interfere with its func` "tion, and so that it Will not afford anyfsubstantial .obstruction toca sidewalkjorf other n public thoroughfare "located intermediate the tread device andthe doorto be actuated.

Another object of the invention isto soconstruct and arrange the tread member and the cable connections leading therefrom to the doors that a relatively slight degree of movement in the tread member Will be amplitied-to the degree-requisite to fully open the doors and to the general construction and arrangement of the device as a Whole.

In the drawings: Y

Figure l is a cross sectional elevation of a garage or the like, showing the interior of the doors with the cables attached;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the front of 'the garage and the proximate runway, With the tread member in elevated position; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the -member and associated parts.

Referring to Fig. 1, the devices lof the present invention are applied to a garage having side WallslO, a floor 11, and Vfront end Walls 12 closed by doorV sections `13. The doors are hung from the usual rollers 14 riding on track rails 15. f Y

The treadmember 16 is located at aconvenient distance in frontv of the doors, depending upon the arrangement of the run- Way which approaches the garage door opening. As shown, with the garage flush with the sidewalk, the tread memberis 1otre ad cated on the tar side; that is to say, the,

street side of the sidewalk, so that it inter-V feres in no Way With the use ot' the sidewalk,L

although any other convenient arrangement,

depending upon circumstances, may be employed. 'i' "f I The tread member, as shoyvmcomprisesa cross railf17 norma'llyheld 'in elevated relation by endsections 18 terminating in trun- @uw .STATES-lPATENT-Q1FFICE- nions 19; mounted in journal brackets 20,y

which are vset into the concrete ofthe side- Walk,` orotherwise conveniently arranged...`

The end sections 1S have extending therefrom at an angle thereto, arms 21 vwhich carry rollers 22,V the general arrangement being that of albell. crank lever at each endl ofthe cross rail of the tread;y

='E ach of the Vdoor'*sections'has secured theretoithe inner end of a cable 23 Which Vpasses over the upper idle roller 24 preferA ably vsecured to the side Wall of the garage, thenc'earound a; first Vlovver idle roller .25 located inorbelow the vfloor'ofthe garage,

thenceovera second idle roller 26vsimilarly located-and thence around the lroller 22 and i .back to a fixed connection at 'the point 27.32,'

lachiofthe door sections .is also provided With a-counterbalancing cable 28 extending iii-:reverse relation to the operating cable for' the samedoor section -andpassing over a. roller 29, and having at itsVloWerge-nd-a counterbalance Weight 30. The doors may be held against the action of the counter- Weights by means of alock bar 31 secured at the end 32 of one of the door sections, which bar slidably engages a hook 33 on the other door section, and isprovidedon its tree. end. with a notch 34 adapted to spring into and engage the hook 33 when the' doors havebeen fully opened, thereby holding the same against closure bytheV action of the counterbala-nce Weights.

In use', with the doors closed, the tread bar will stan-d in elevated relation,` as bestv shown in' Fig. 2, but when contacted by the .Wheels of an approaching car or vehicle the tread bar Will be depressed and the arms 21 swung back into'the position indicated in dotted lines. The-arrangement is such that l the degree of movement imparted to the cables can be regulated by properly proportioning the respective lengths ot theupright members 18 and the arms 21, Which act as Vthe short and longarms of a bell crank lever. Thismovement Will be amplified by the pulley ratio employed,4 so that a relatively slight degree ot movement of the tread bar Will afford the necessary movement for opening the doors, thereby enabling the tread member to be located in J1 saar:

forms p or depressilole relatively close relation to thepground so as.

not to afford substantialvolistruetion. `At

` the same time the arrangement of the tread member is such lthat its operationcannot; easily be interfered Withb'aniacctimula@ tion of snow, ice or mud, which. sometimesV Y y length than'the height of the tread bar, .a

interferes Withthe operation oftrad'shav-- ing a platform formation,l v L1 When the doors are fully 'open7 the notch in, thelock har, vvillyengage the hook 33 sol that the doors Will remain open until thelo'cll bar.V isireleasedf, after lwhich the `doors :will close bygthe action of fthe. counterweights.- he device is simple in construction, and is so :arranged that it maybe readily installed in places and under conditions Whichwould preclude ,the usent devices employing platpurpose. g Y I claim 1.511,1 adjoor opening device, the combination of a pair otslidingl doorsfa pivotallyV mounted tread .bar normally standing in elevated relation withv respect totheT ground' Y level or"v the runway,v and provided 4at each end; with av depending; lever armfl .of greater length 'than the height of the tread han? a;

."rollerE journaled atl the end o-,eachqlever arm, and .acable-or each roller;having-oneV end Secured*to-theV associated door .section and the Vother end secured toa iixed portion.-

= of the. structure, the e intermediatey portion yof fthe: cable extending around the associated'` roller for the-.purposeof amplifying the..

movements oi the :door section occasionedl by a swinging of-V thelevers', substantially as describeda.

runways for a similar:

2. In aldoorl openingdevice, the comloination of a pair oslidingdoorslafpivotally mounted tread har normally standing in ele# vated relation with `respect to the lground levelotth'e run'wav'and provided at each end with asp-depending lever arm of greaterv rollerpjournaledat klthe end of each lever arm, a cable foreachV roller having one end secured to the associated kdoOrl-section and' the other endsecured to :ajzixed portion;y of the structure, the'intermediate portion of; the

cableextending around the associatedrfloller t for the purpose of ampli'fyilng` movementsof the door sectionl occasioned'byaswinging of i provided at itsends/With verticallyentend-H ing` ,members terminatingy ill leven armsv "of greater length than. the vertically disposed l members, pivotal-v mountngs l ,for the' l tread` harp'cables' extending-from thearmgtQthe, i respective ydoor Asectionswfor, operatingflfthe t latterby the' .depression kOt,the;treaflibaf', countervvei @his for e ach oli theadfOOI?, SeCtiQIVlS.,

acting in.' opposition to; the'gopening moverA ments, andealockingbar securedtoone; o the door sections and: slidably mounted, vvith,

respect to the other door sec-tion; and.; adapt- Vedto engage andglock thelatter Whenxthev-f doors have:` beenully opened, substantially` as described: I j

F., cose. 

